playing nice with other communities (was: tiny mention of Ubuntu in blog entry)

[Michael Shigorin]

On Fri, May 20, 2005 at 10:32:34AM +0200, Emil Oppeln-Bronikowski wrote:
> >used in this context as: Ubuntu == Linux.
> Well, this is good for all the developers, because it's a
> reward for thier hard work. IMHO, it has a bad side, too.
> Other Linux users starts to feel bad about Ubuntu, because
> of ,,hype''.

Well as one "other Linux user" I can reassure you that "Gentoo
buzz" was far worse than "Ubunty hype".  At least to me. :)

Just because an awful lot of people were misguided and needed
special treatment regarding "proffesional" and other aspects
of deployments and maintenance of systems based on distro with
philosophy like that -- hey we're at times where we should be
able to be responsible for things we do, fun is fun but business
is business.  And business does need Linux now, and Linux
specialists for that matter too.

> The point is: we need to play nice with other distributions,
> since we don't compete with them.

Actually you do but that can be fair (and should be so in free
software, just as it's common to play unfair in fee software).

> Two days ago someone asked about sound problem in Slackware on
> Ubuntu-PL. The first e-mail that came as reply was like that:
> This is a Ubuntu mailing list. I was forced to remind that we
> should follow Code of Conduct and if someone ask about
> something that can help other Linux user (we're community in
> general).

I've met similar cases too on @lists.altlinux.ru.  General rule
of thumb (let alone private idiosynchrasies) seems like "if it's
a desperate/urgent problem and not a lazy person parasitizing on
another distro's community while giving nothing back, let's try
to help".

> With great power comes big responiblility.

And way too often -- big pride lurks around...

-- 
 ---- WBR, Michael Shigorin <mike at altlinux.ru>
  ------ Linux.Kiev http://www.linux.kiev.ua/